Saiyaara box office prediction: Ahaan Panday, Aneet Padda film defies logic; to break Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, Dhadak records

Saiyaara box office prediction: The Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda-starrer is tracking for a ₹10+ crore opening. Trade experts say this defies all logic.

Mohit Suri is returning to the romantic genre with the upcoming musical, Saiyaara. The film, backed by Yash Raj Films, stars newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda in the lead, and is tracking to be one of the most promising films this year at the box office. The buzz for the film, evident by its advance booking numbers, has surprised many in the trade.

Saiyaara, directed by Mohit Suri, stars newcomers Ahaan Pandey and Aneet Padda.

Saiyaara box office prediction

Saiyaara is currently tracking for a double-digit opening, i.e. over ₹10 crore net in India on day 1. The advance booking has already crossed ₹2.6 crore with over 12 hours to go for the pre-sales. Some conservative estimates say the film will likely earn ₹10-12 crore on opening day, while more liberal estimates are even giving figures as high as ₹15-20 crore. These are astounding figures for a romantic film with newcomers, considering even Aamir Khan managed just ₹11.50 crore with Sitaare Zameen Par on opening day just a month ago.

Saiyaara set to break all-time box office record

A double-digit opening ensures that Saiyaara will break the record for the highest opening-day collection by a Hindi film with debutants as leads. The record currently belongs to Dhadak, which marked Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter's debuts in 2018. The film had earned ₹8.76 crore net in India on its release day. But the rather unbelievable thing is that if the ₹15-20 crore number holds true, Saiyaara may even break the opening day footfalls record for a debutant-led film, one that has been untouched for 25 years.

Hrithik Roshan and Ameesha Patel's record-breaking Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai had opened to ₹51 lakh in 2000, selling around 4 lakh tickets on day 1 alone. This number has not been surpassed by any film featuring debutants since. Saiyaara has already sold a lakh tickets for day 1 in advance booking, and estimates say it can see around 4-6 lakh footfalls on day 1, which would be a new record for a Bollywood release.

What trade says about Saiyaara

Romantic films have not worked this well in Hindi cinema since the pandemic. The only romantic drama to have a bigger opening since is Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. But that film had the might of Dharma and the names of Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, and Karan Johar backing this. Saiyaara may have the heft of YRF behind it, but Aneet and Ahaan are new. Hence, trade analysts are a bit stumped about the craze. Atul Mohan, senior trade analyst, says, “There is hype, for sure. The trailer was good, and the (title) song has impressed the audience. But the hype defies logic. There are shows in Agra that are housefull. But at the same time, some theatres in Andheri have not sold a single ticket. But having said that, I hope the hype reaches all parts now. As industry people, we want films to work and people to come to the theatres.”

Insiders say that the organic hype for Saiyaara exists but has been inflated by misreporting. “Everyone loves an underdog story. Hence, a lot of reporting has been exaggerated. Still, the film is likely to open well. Just how well that will be can only be seen on Friday,” says an exhibitor who did not wish to be named.

Many trade insiders, however, caution against discounting Saiyaara, saying the film's craze does exist among younger audiences, particularly those under 30.

Directed by Mohit Suri and produced by YRF’s CEO Akshaye Widhani, Saiyaara is set to release in theatres on 18 July.